SELAH — Port Angeles is in good hands in the outfield with the Halberg sisters, senior Emi and junior Lily, patrolling center and right field respectively, for the Roughriders.
The Riders (20-3) opened the Class 2A State Softball Championship with an 11-10 win in eight innings over No. 9-seed Ridgefield (22-2) Friday.
“The funny part about the Halberg sisters is they are two distinctly different players,” Port Angeles head coach Randy Steinman said.
“At the plate, Lily hits bombs and gappers and Emi is the lefty slapper who is always ready to sneak a bunt down or knock a line drive, getting on base anyway she can, stealing bases and scoring runs.
“What they have in common is they are both phenomenal outfielders and they both have phenomenal speed.”
Teammate Peyton Rudd has played with the pair on travel ball and other squads since she was nine years old.
“Funny people, so different from each other, but also definitely sisters,” Rudd said.
“Lily is so outgoing, talking it up on the field, keeping the energy up. And Emi, she’s silent but deadly, almost. She’s doing the most on the field and when she gets riled up she can bring the energy, too. You can see two different sides of the Halberg family.”
Emi agreed.
“Lily is a little more extroverted,” she said. “She’s helped me get out my shell. She makes me feel more comfortable when I’m around her, relaxed and able. She inspires me, too. To be playful and loosey goosey and carefree.
When somebody makes a great play, she’s the first to be the one to run in and celebrate.”
Lily agreed.
“I love watching my teammates make a good play or make a good hit,” Lily Halberg said. “When Heidi [Leitz] got that grand slam [against Sequim last week], that was such a big deal it just makes you super proud as a teammate knowing they’ve worked super hard to make those plays.”
There’s been much to celebrate for the Riders, and especially for the Halbergs.
Lily Halberg made the leap this season to first-team All-Olympic League. She’s broken Natalie Steinman’s team record for home runs in a season with 13 entering state play. She hit a team-high .582 in the regular season and led the squad in RBIs with 35 despite missing three games to injury.
She was moved up in the batting order to No. 2 behind two-time Olympic League MVP Zoe Smithson this season.
“Just the way she was producing it was an easy decision,” Steinman said. “She kept getting better and better as the year went on. After the first games in Anacortes, she hit an inside-the-park-homer and a triple and hasn’t stopped. She’s just unbelievably strong and can pound the ball over the fence. Her homers aren’t just over the fence, they are bombs.”
Emi Halberg has made a number of defensive gems in center field, including a home-run saving catch against White River in the district tournament.
“My role is to be the boss in the outfield and assure my other teammates that I can get the job done,” Emi Halberg said. “I can help out the team and always remind them of the situation: how many outs, where we are going with the ball, they can count on me [to tell them] if they don’t know.”
Steinman knows he can trust Emi in center.
“She’s made game-saving catches for us,” Steinman said. “With her speed, she’s going to get to balls that most outfielders wouldn’t have a chance on.”
Lily said her sister’s thoughtfulness and attention to detail pushes her.
“She’s very thoughtful and cares a lot about what she does,” Lily Halberg said. “She wants to make herself better every single day and that’s inspiring to me — how hard she works and how much she cares and how she’s always pushing to go the extra mile.”
The pair also are excited to see younger sister Maryrose make the move up to high school softball next season.
“The college I’m going to is on the semester schedule, so I’ll be able to watch the end of the season and the playoffs next year,” Emi Halberg said. “Mary has the drive for the sport, so I know she will do great.”
Lily Halberg may make the move over to center and get to play alongside her sister in right field next season.
“As sad as I am to leave Emi, I’ve never played on a team with Mary before,” Lily Halberg said.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@peninsuladaily news.com.
Port Angeles’ Lily Halberg bats in an April game against Kingston at Dry Creek School in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
